Thomas More College to Host Rare, Fine Art Edition of The Saint John’s Bible

Unveiling of first volume and art gallery exhibition to be held November 12

Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Ky., invites the public to experience The Saint John’s Bible through an exhibition of two Heritage Edition volumes to be on display at the College for one year. The first volume, Pentateuch, will be unveiled November 12, noon – 2 p.m., in conjunction with the opening of a print exhibition of 10 illuminated Heritage Edition pages from The Saint John’s Bible in the Eva G. Farris Art Gallery. The Pentatuech will be on display in the library for one year. The exhibit in the gallery will be on display Nov. 12-27. A second volume, the Wisdom Books, will be unveiled in the College’s new Mary, Seat of Wisdom Chapel, December 9, 2012.

The Saint John’s Bible is the first handwritten, illuminated Bible commissioned by a Benedictine Abbey since the advent of the printing press. It was commissioned in 1998 by the Benedictine monks of Saint John’s Abbey and University “to ignite the spiritual imagination of believers throughout the world and to illuminate the word of God for a new millennium.” Through the Heritage Edition, individuals and artistic, religious and cultural institutions can experience and share the only full size, limited edition, signed and numbered,fine art reproductions of this extraordinary manuscript.

The Saint John’s Bible is a work of art and a work of theology. A team of artists coordinated by Donald Jackson in Wales and a team of scholars in Central Minnesota have brought together the ancient techniques of calligraphy and illumination with an ecumenical Christian approach to the Bible rooted in Benedictine spirituality.

Pentateuch is the first five books of the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) and includes 164 pages of beautiful illumination and text. The seven prominent illuminations in this volume are Creation, Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, Jacob’s Ladder, Abraham and Sarah, the Ten Commandments and the Death of Moses.

Wisdom Books was completed in July of 2006 and includes 136 pages and 24 illuminations. Prominent illuminations include the Job Frontispiece, Wisdom Woman, Garden of Desire, Seven Pillars of Wisdom and Creation, Covenant, Shekinah, Kingdom.

“The Heritage Edition provides an accessible link to the original artwork for those who wish to bring its beauty, spiritual and historic significance into their lives and the lives of others,” said Eric Hollas, OSB, senior associate for Arts & Cultural Affairs, Saint John’s University. “It is a work of art in its own right and ignites imagination as it imparts the word of God.”

Saint John’s conducted a worldwide search for the finest papermakers, printing experts and binders to create a printed work worthy of the original manuscript. The best archival-quality 100 percent cotton paper, fade-resistant permanent inks and metallic foils containing genuine gold, have been used to closely approximate the look and feel of the original. The edition is printed with a special printing technique using ultraviolet light. Limited to 299 seven-volume sets, each is signed and numbered by Donald Jackson. To ensure faithful representation of the original manuscript, Donald Jackson, the artistic director of The Saint John’s Bible, is intensely involved in the reproduction, along with the finest printing experts and binders.